Being a Solution
Seeking the Root Cause at the Well Integrative Wellness Centers…
While the word “health” might mean different things to different people, the World Health Organization defines it as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This same sentiment is echoed in the work being done by the medical practitioners at The Well in Yreka. “We are a Christian integrative wellness center, and our focus is on seeking out the root causes of disease, whether it’s emotional spiritual, or physical to treat the whole person. We have all been trained allopathically, which means in traditional Western medicine, but we also blend it with complementary medicine approaches,” explains owner Emily Sander.
This means care is specialized for each patient, she says. “Some just want a primary care provider, but they don’t really love the traditional system,” Sander says. “They want longer appointments, and a more flexible or collaborative approach. We also do more comprehensive lab testing than the typical labs. We look into hormones, gut health, and the immune system.”
The center also offers genetics, physical therapy, pelvic floor therapy, intravenous vitamin infusions and Equiscope therapy, which is microcurrent therapy that helps with things like lowering inflammation. “It really is a team of specialists offering a mix of options,” Sander says.
The center opened in Yreka a couple of years ago, after the vision for it sprang from Sander’s emergency medical work during the pandemic. “Everyone working at The Well right now was on the front lines treating patients. Our hearts would break seeing patients who were really isolated. They were coming into the ER, but they were dealing with so many more things than physical issues that the pandemic especially brought up. That opened our eyes to saying we think that medicine can be better, where patients have a safe place to discuss more things that are impacting their health.”
Even in emergency medicine, many patients are dealing with a chronic illness that stems from stress, unresolved trauma or family and emotional issues, Sander explains. “We felt that need was not being matched at all in a traditional setting,” she says. “We just thought, ‘How can we be a solution for others who are looking for more?’”
While The Well is billed as a Christian wellness center, seeking treatment doesn’t require religious belief. “We put it out there because that’s the basis of how we want to treat patients. We want them to feel comfortable. If they want prayer, we are happy to pray with them. None of us are ministers and we aren’t affiliated with any church, but we all have a strong passion for God and are happy to support a patient on that level. We also have a lot of non-Christians that come to our practice, who are tired of just feeling like another number in the medical system, and feeling loved when they come through our door. I even have some patients who are New Age, who meditate and see a shaman as well.”
The Well starts its integrated healing from a place of working with the things people all struggle with, like forgiveness, or the roots of anger, bitterness and fear, because these emotions can be toxic, she says. “A lot of people these days will not enter a church, but they will enter a healthcare facility so I look at that as an opportunity to help those who know they’re hurting but aren’t finding answers in the world,” Sander says. “Our goal is to love them and to give them answers in a non-pressuring way.”
The Well offers a full list of services at its main office in Yreka, with limited services by appointment in Redding and Medford. They operate as a fee-for-service or direct pay clinic, although things like blood work, imaging and prescriptions are often still covered by insurance as they happen outside the clinic. Sander says they can provide bills to customers to give their insurers for out-of-network coverage. And, while they’ve been growing at a steady rate of 30 to 40 patients a month, Sander is thinking much bigger than that. “My big, big dream is that something like The Well could become a movement for practitioners across the United States, where they might be more willing to step into this form of integrative medicine because it doesn’t have to come from a New Age perspective. There aren’t many clinics that say, ‘Hey, we are Christian-based, but yet we are accepting and loving of all people.’ It’s a shift in the mindset of how we do patient care. You can treat your patients in a more compassionate, less-burned out way that’s focused on helping each individual patient.” •
The Well • (530) 572-1566
thewellcenterforhealing.com
